According to UTracks, the specialist active European holiday division of World Expedition, travellers’ interest in the relatively untapped Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia is on a steady and healthy growth among Australian travellers.

With an ever expanding portfolio of products and experiences across Europe and an impressive ongoing repeat client record of 60%, UTracks has recently introduced tours to the Baltics. The company, which specialises in activity-based tours, was the very first Australian tour provider to include leisure cycling tours to this emerging destination in Europe.

Among their clients, the 11-day guided ‘Treasures of the Baltics’ from Vilnius in Lithuania through Latvia to Tallinn in Estonia and the 9-day Latvia and Estonia Guided Cycle have proven to be the most popular tours. Not only were the itineraries designed to expose travellers to the constantly changing landscape and wild natural beauty along the rugged Baltic coast that runs through fishing villages and spa towns with curative mud baths, they also encourage travellers to acquaint themselves with the different ethnic Baltic traditions entrenched in folklore and feast on hearty local dishes.

General Manager of UTracks, Kate Baker, says the company’s competitive advantage is the broad range of specialty tours and cutting-edge travel ideas. The company’s distinctive itineraries coupled with the ongoing flow of feedback from clients on their products fuel their development.

“The valuable feedback we receive inspires and encourages our team to constantly seek out new or intriguing destinations such as the Baltics, and introduce different activities to cater to our clients’ hunger for new adventures and experiences,” says Kate.

“While the traditionally popular destinations such as the UK, Italy, Switzerland, France and Germany continue to be on high demand, a large percentage of our regular clients, most of whom are already familiar with the usual European hot spots, are constantly expressing their interest in delving into lesser explored territories of the continent.

“Our clients are the typical outdoor lovers who enjoy walking, cycling, and gourmet food which is such a big hit with them,” she continues. “The region is an ideal adventure destination namely because it is still relatively unknown; the states are naturally beautiful, while incredibly rich in history and culture; and importantly to our clients, the governments of these states are investing heavily in infrastructure for cyclists,” she says.

Recently, UTracks released a self-guided cycle trip along the Baltic Coast from Lithuania through the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the Polish seaport of Gdansk. This track includes the previously off-limits Curonian Spit, with one of the best cycle days to be had in all of Eastern Europe.